This invention relates to a process for the industrial preparation of pizzeria pizzas.
Industrial processes for preparing pizzas are known in the prior art, but the product obtained is generally in the form of the so-called industrial pizza/focaccia. This is a product generally without the outer raised edge and without the special characteristics of pizzas eaten in artisan pizzerias, the so-called pizzeria pizzas.
A pizzeria pizza means a pizza with the following special characteristics:
a diameter of between 20 and 35 cm, a compact non-cellular or only minimally cellular structure of the dough below the topping, and a circular outer raised edge 1-2 cm high which is more baked and blistered. This pizza is easy to chew, is not rubbery or hard, is fragrant and is not greasy.
One of the processes of the known art comprises a first dough preparation stage followed by kneading, portioning into balls of dough and rounding them. Raising by yeast action then follows in suitable cells at a temperature of between 30.degree. and 35.degree. C. for a time of between 20 and 45 minutes, under an optimum relative humidity of between 70 and 85%.
This is followed by rolling, topping, baking in an oven at 250.degree.-280.degree. C. for 10-12 minutes, and finally packaging and/or deep-freezing.
Another known industrial process comprises dough preparation followed by kneading, raising in cells, extrusion into slabs of dough, rolling into a thin sheet, and punching to obtain a round product of the desired diameter and thickness.
The known art has many drawbacks.
Firstly the product obtained does not have the special characteristics of the pizzeria pizza.
In this respect raising the punched or ball-produced pizza in a cell at 30.degree.-35.degree. C. always produces a more or less high cellular structure typical of the focaccia-type pizza, without the high blistered circular edge.
In addition the use of raising cells is expensive, in that they represent 30-40% of the total plant cost.
Baking then takes place in traditional ovens on a grid or on pans, with a relatively long baking time.
The initially stated known process suffers from a further drawback, in that rolling is carried out with only two pairs of mutually perpendicular rollers. This makes it necessary to add glutin breakdown additives and/or large quantities of fat in order to obtain good results, ie to make the ball soft and rollable. The addition of large quantities of additives and fats can in addition make the dough sticky.